Wolves' Queen (The Royal Heir Series Book 1) Page 16

  “Oh, don’t worry.” The taller one who had chuckled stepped in my direction. A cruel smirk spread across his mouth, stretching a scar that slashed across his cheek. I wasn’t quite sure where it started because his long, shaggy hair covered his eyebrows. He was the epitome of a pirate but with the strength of a wolf. “You’ll meet a worse fate than them.”

  “Look at that pretty red hair.” The other guy was shorter by an inch but just as intimidating. He had a buzz haircut, and his sharp, angular face reminded me of a vampire. “It reminds me of that former bitch of a queen.”

  “She had more class in her pinky toe than you could ever muster your entire life.” No one got to speak ill of my parents. They were strong, good leaders, putting aside their wants and desires for the best of their people.

  “You hit a nerve, Bruce.” The taller one laughed. “If she reacted that way about her mom, there’s no telling what we could do by just trashing her dad.”

  “Chad, you can’t tell me you want me to speak ill of that spineless, piece-of-shit, King Corey.” Bruce bit his bottom lip as he scanned me from top to bottom.

  They were trying to rile me up. Dad’s face flashed in my head, but I had to hold back my rage. “Oh, I thought that would be Darren since he didn’t have the balls to kill my parents himself.”

  “You will address him as King.” Chad’s voice was strong and fierce. “Not that you’ll get to talk about him much longer. His orders were clear.”

  “Let me guess. You two are supposed to kill me.” I had to keep them talking while giving James and the others time to get here. “I mean, it’s kind of obvious and pathetic if you ask me.”

  “We aren’t asking.” Bruce emphasized the words and took a step toward me. “Enough talk. Let’s kill this bitch and go.”

  I had to pretend I was weak and helpless. That’s what most people would expect of me. However, I was raised by two strong, kick-ass women. “Please, don’t.” I forced my bottom lip to quiver. I had to make them think that they held all the power. “At least release those three first.”

  “It’s cute that you think you can control this.” Bruce tilted his head and gawked at my figure. “Maybe we can have some fun with her first?”

  These guys were the worst kind of assholes. There was no telling how many other lowlifes Darren had up his sleeve.

  My guardians' words from all the training echoed in my head. ‘Always let your captors think they have the advantage. Locate all of their weapons. If they are hidden by a sleeve or pant leg, they’ll inadvertently walk a little funny. Alpha males are the most arrogant, so feed it. Allow it to grow until they see you as pathetic and weak. And at the last second, make the fuckers bleed.’

  Going with instinct, I took a fighter’s stance but made sure I didn’t do it perfectly. I let my back hunch over and began to take short breaths as if I was petrified.

  “Aw, look.” Bruce cackled. “She thinks she can take us.”

  “Just get it over with.” Chad waved him on. “I’m ready to get out of here and back home.”

  “Looks like playtime is over.” He leisurely strolled the distance between us. He shuffled when he walked, and he pulled out a knife from his belt.

  From what I could tell, he had a gun around his right ankle. His pants were looser, and he seemed to favor the left side. Hell, I wasn’t quite sure, but that was what I had to go with.

  As he lifted his arm with the knife, aiming for my chest, I corrected my stance and punched him right in the face.

  The force of the impact and the fact he hadn’t expected it made him fall to the ground. Not wasting any time, I kicked him hard in the face, knocking his ass out.

  I grabbed the knife out of his hands and searched his right pant leg for the gun.

  “What the hell?” Chad’s eyes widened, and he stumbled as he pulled his gun out and aimed it right at me. “I can’t believe you knocked him out.”

  Well, this didn’t work out the way I’d hoped. “I’m so surprised.” I had a feeling my innocent act wasn’t going to work a second time. But hey, a girl’s got to try.

  “Don’t try pulling that shit on me.” He glanced over at Kassie and Mona and shook his head. “I should’ve figured they trained you. I saw the little obstacle course back there.”

  I wasn’t sure what to say at this point.

  “This is unfortunate, but I guess I’ll have to clean up his mess.” He kicked his friend who was passed out on the ground.

  Car doors shut loudly outside of the house.

  Thank God. James and his pack were here.

  The door had been left open, which was more of a blessing now than ever.

  “Elena.” James's strong voice yelled out. “Are you in here?”

  Chad looked confused as he glanced at the open door and back at me. “You stupid bitch.” He pointed the gun right at me and pulled the trigger.

  My animal side completely kicked in. For the first time ever, I allowed my wolf instincts to guide me. I rolled out of the way in the nick of time. Instead of lodging in my chest, the bullet nicked the side of my arm.

  When I rolled onto my back, my eyes darted to his right shoulder, and I launched the knife right into it.

  “Ow.” His gun dropped as he used his left hand to hold the right arm. “You bitch.”

  The next minute, James and two men ran into the house and paused in their tracks.

  Needing this guy knocked out too, I rushed him and pretended to go for his head.

  When he tried to reach out and grab my arm to cut off the impact, I rammed my leg into his family jewels.

  He slowly fell to the floor with a loud thud.

  “Can you tie these two up?” I turned back to James as I looked at the injury on my arm.

  “Yup, sure can.” James motioned for the other two to follow him.

  Now that we weren’t in immediate danger, I ran over to Kassie and Mona and grabbed some scissors from the end table to cut the ropes that bound their hands and legs together.

  Once Kassie stood and pulled out the washcloth that had been crammed into her mouth, a huge-ass grin filled her face. “You did great.”

  “Thanks.” Now that they were settled, I ran over, kneeled down, and checked on Mason. His chest was still moving up and down, and his heart rate was steady. Mason? Even as I asked the question, I lowered my head and placed my lips on his. They were warm, and after a second, it felt as if he responded.

  Elena? His eyes peeled open, and he grinned. “Wait.” He sat up and took in the surroundings. “What happened?”

  “Your mate kicked their asses.” James chuckled as he took in the condition of the two men on the floor. “Take ‘em back to our home and kill them.”

  “No.” Now that Mason was awake, my body began to calm, and the adrenaline was wearing off. “If you kill them, Darren will know.”

  “She’s right.” Mona nodded and glanced upstairs. “We need to remove their weapons and cell phones and take them somewhere until we can figure out a plan.”

  “Sounds good.” James motioned to the two men who had already bound and gagged the two idiots. “Remove their phones and leave them here.” He turned to Mason, his forehead lined with worry. “Are you okay?”

  “Got a killer headache. Other than that, I’m fine.” His eyes caught sight of the blood trickling down my arm. “But she’s not.”

  “I’m fine.” I smiled and looked at the wound again. “The bullet just nicked me. All I need is a bandage until it heals on its own.”

  “A bullet?” He grabbed my waist and pulled me into his arms. “I’m going to kill them.”

  “Like we just talked about, let’s wait until we figure out our next move.” I was going to have to make a choice.

  “Here you go.” A man in his thirties handed me both mobile devices. “Let’s get them out of here before the bald guy wakes up.” He leaned down and grabbed Bruce, who was still passed out.

  The other guy, who had to be only a few years older than us, grabbed Chad’s i
njured shoulder and led him to the door. At the last second, Chad turned and glared at me one more time.

  That’s when it hit me. My worst fear had come true. Darren knew about me, and there was no hiding anymore. I either had to step up and be the queen that the wolves deserved or die. I wouldn’t be escaping death a second time.

  Chapter Eighteen

  A car screeched into our driveway, causing my adrenaline to pump once more. Maybe they had back up.

  “Why the hell did you guys leave me?” Ella shouted the question as her footsteps kept moving toward the house.

  When she walked in, her eyes wandered the whole room. “What the fuck happened?”

  “Language.” James arched an eyebrow at her.

  “Shit, sorry Dad.” Ella took in the carnage around her. “What happened really?”

  I felt bad. Out of everyone here, she was the one left in the dark. I had planned on telling her, but between finding out and mating with Mason, life had gotten in the way. “There’s something I need to tell you.”

  “No shit.” Ella placed her hands on her hips and stared me down. “Spill.”

  “Now listen here…” James’s jaw clenched, and he took a step toward Ella. “The last thing we need is more people involved.”

  “She should know.” Even though I should have respected the wishes of my alpha, I couldn’t. Not now. As soon as they linked Mason to me, none of his family members would be safe, and they all deserved to know.

  “You decided to join my pack. I make the rules.” James's eyes flashed with anger as he swung them my way.

  “You’re right. I did.” But this was bigger than him whether he liked to admit it or not. “But we both know how this may go down. Her not knowing may get her killed.”

  “Dad, she’s right.” Mason slowly climbed to his feet and wrapped an arm around me. “The more we know, the better.”

  “Uh… yeah.” Ella passed her dad as if she didn’t see him. “And telling me now would be better so I don’t throw a temper tantrum.”

  “There was a specific reason why I tried to keep my distance from you at the beginning.” I was glad Mason’s arm was wrapped around me right now. I needed all the support I could get. “I’m Elena Hawthrone.”

  “Yeah, no shit.” Ella tilted her head. “I’ve known that since day one.”

  “The Elena Hawthrone.” Mason emphasized the name. “As known in the wolf shifter community.”

  “Your King Darren’s kid?” Ella’s forehead wrinkled and she shook her head. “You’ve got to be shitting me. He wouldn’t come and visit us when he was supposed to a few years ago.”

  As a leader, it was a royal decree from long ago that the person in charge would visit every alpha’s pack within a ten year period of time. In those days, it wasn’t too tough to visit them all. People stayed in bigger packs and within a closer proximity to one another. But as America grew and expanded, so did the packs. “How could he not? That’s royal doctrine.”

  “Well, when you’re the king, you can change things.” Kassie’s voice was filled with disgust.

  “I’m still trying to understand this.” Ella took a step closer to me and stared into my eyes. Something flickered on her face. “Are you the beloved princess that died at six?”

  “Yes, but I’m not actually dead.” Great, now I was being socially awkward again.

  “Honey, we know that.” Mona took a step closer to me and patted my arm.

  “So that’s what your big secret was?” Ella flinched like I slapped her. “Why didn’t you tell me? It seems like they,” she said as she pointed to Mason and her father, “know.”

  “It hasn’t been for long.” This was what always scared me. Getting close to someone just to lose them. “Mason learned the night after his fight.”

  “Fight?” James's eyes flashed to Mason’s. “I thought I told you no.”

  This kept getting better and better. “And your dad found out shortly after. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I’d planned on telling you.”

  “When?” Her hazel eyes became glassy, and she held my stare as though daring me to continue. “When were you going to tell me?”

  “As soon as we were alone again.” She had to believe me. “I didn’t want to do it over the phone.”

  “And you fought the bond with Mason because of this?” Ella took a deep breath and lifted her chin.

  “Yes, see what just happened.” I pointed at Mason’s head and then to Kassie and Mona. Kassie had cuts on her arms and Mona had two black eyes. Their wrists were raw from where they’d been tied and had tried to get out of their bonds. “I never wanted this to happen.” My voice cracked at the end.

  “You did nothing wrong.” Mason grabbed my other arm and turned me so I faced him. “This is not your fault. You were trying to protect everyone, but you can’t keep that burden and expectation on yourself.”

  “Look what it cost you all?” My fingertips touched where the blood clotted on his head. “I could have lost you.”

  “No.” Mason used his pointer finger and thumb to tilt my head up to look into his eyes. “You will not push me away. I won’t allow it.”

  Even though it was selfish, those were the words I wanted to hear. “It’s the only way you all can be safe.”

  “Baby girl, we aren’t going anywhere.” Kassie crossed her arms and took a deep breath. “We’ve offered our entire lives up to keep you safe, and that won’t be ending anytime soon.”

  “But you deserve to have your own life.” Didn’t they see that I was the reason they were all in danger?

  “We’re all in.” Mona arched an eyebrow. “You need us anyway.”

  Now that I couldn’t argue with. “Mason protect…”

  “You are not getting rid of me.” He glanced at his dad and sister. “You two head back to the pack. You don’t need to get involved any deeper than you already are.”

  “Like hell I’m not.” Ella took a step toward Mason and growled. “She was my friend first, and I’ll be damned if I stand on the sidelines and allow her to get hurt or worse.” Her gaze flickered back to me. “As for you, when this is all said and done, we’re going to talk and share our deepest darkest secrets with one another. I better not be the last one to know anything else about you.”

  I couldn’t help the damn smile that spread across my face. “That’s fine if you go home and stay safe.”

  “No, you’re my best friend.” She shook her head and squeezed my free hand. “It’s ride or die, bitch.”

  Mason let go of me as I turned toward her and wrapped my arms around her. “I love you.” It’d been years since I muttered those words, but in the last week, I’d said them to two new people.

  “Of course you do.” She squeezed me tight and pulled back. “I love you too.”

  “As touching as this is,” James said as he turned his attention on my guardians, “I’d like to know how those two guys got into your house.”

  “It’s all on me.” Kassie’s shoulders slumped, and she sat on the couch. “I let my guard down. It’s that simple.”

  “Don’t act like I wasn’t a willing participant.” Mona touched one of her eyes and winced. “Damn. That hurts.”

  “We went down to our normal bar. I had an itch I needed scratched.” She leaned back in her seat and took a deep breath. “When those two fine wolf shifters walked in and said all the right things. Hell, it’s been a long time since I had great sex so…”

  “They must have known you hung out there regularly.” That was the only thing that made sense. “Who all knows you go there?”

  “Everybody in this small town.” Mona rolled her eyes and sat next to Kassie. “I was just as guilty as her this time.”

  “Neither of you should feel bad.” It wasn’t their fault despite them beating themselves up over it. “I just don’t understand how they knew we were alive and here.”

  “It happened after you shifted.” Mason frowned as he leaned back against the wall. “But it doesn’t make a lick of sense.”


  “Maybe I got it wrong.” Kassie frowned and chewed on her lower lip. “You see, I had a dream the other night where your dad was talking to your mom.”

  “Like a repressed memory or something?” Mona’s brows furrowed.

  “Yeah, remember that night I had one too many shots at the party and you covered for my ass?” Kassie picked at her fingers.

  “It was right after your mom died.” Mona stared at the ceiling. “You had one too many shots, and Corey found you outside Elena’s bedroom.”

  “Well, I…” She took a deep breath and blew it out. “I heard him tell Elena that when she was Queen, she’d feel every wolf in North America.”

  No, that can’t be. “But you said…”

  “I know what I said.” She raised a finger, asking for a moment. “I stumbled, and he came out to see what was going on. I remember how he looked at me with sadness in his eyes. He knew my mother had died. He asked me if everything was okay. And my drunk ass asked if he felt my mother die.”

  That was a pain that I understood so well. I had to deal with losing both of my parents. It makes you do irrational things.

  “Oh, Kassie.” Mona reached over and touched her arm.

  “He wrapped me in a tight hug, and when he pulled back, I saw a tear trail down his cheek.” Kassie rubbed her face where his tear must have been. “He told me that they could only feel the alphas and that he couldn’t believe that another strong, compassionate woman was lost.” She blinked her eyes over and over again. “I remember asking him, how could he know that? And his hand squeezed my shoulder. He replied that he knew exactly what kind of woman she had to be to raise someone as brave, strong, and caring as me.” Tears rolled down her cheeks as her bottom lip quivered. “I should’ve remembered what he said to you, but it was only after you already shifted that it came to me.”

  “It was a secret that no one was supposed to know.” Mason placed his hands on my shoulders and began massaging them.

  “Shit, I did this to you all.” This was what I’d been afraid of all along. Confirmed by one of the most important women in my life. I just assumed I remembered it wrong, but I hadn’t. This was all because of me.